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About this project

5 years in the making. The Eden Trilogy

An ambitious full length animated Science Fiction feature, split into 3 separate films. The Eden Trilogy is a project that I've dreamed about making for many years now, and with leaps and bounds in technology, the wait is hopefully almost over.

For your consideration, this teaser trailer has been produced and directed entirely by myself.

The story

Set in a not too distant future, where the earth is almost incapable of sustaining life, mankind has looked towards the stars.

Eden was found, after years of searching deep space and it seemed that mankind was saved.

Then a team of Archaeologists made a startling discovery.

But what the Scientists did, could threaten our entire existence!

No spoilers for now...I can't give anything away at such an early stage.

The Project itself

With motion capture/facial performance capture software being more affordable then ever, what I could only dream about 5 years ago is now a reality. Most indie animation guys would strongly agree.

Full body and facial motion capture that now allows indie artists like
myself to not have to worry about the technology like before, but more
about the actual performance of the actors, in an attempt to bring
character driven stories to life in 3d, without huge teams of people or
massive Hollywood budgets.

More affordable, high end computers that allow 2k (full film resolution) rendering of scenes much, much faster than before, giving high production values to indie animators.

Origins and concepts

As I mentioned, it has been 5 years since I first came up with a rough draft of the screenplay, which follows an investigation crew that has been sent to find out what has happened with loss of communications on Eden.

I feel that from developing the story over so many years, it has really come into it's own, and there are many twists and turns that you wouldn't necessarily expect.

Again, I wanted a Science Fiction story that has action and suspense, but also that is really character driven for a 3d animation feature film. Then I realized that one film just wasn't long enough. It would have to be broken into 3 parts to give a sense of scale to the events surrounding Eden and mankind.

Why Kickstarter?

I've spent the last 12 months in pre-production: building sets, sourcing assets and making characters, finalizing the script and story boarding. Spending hours in front of my computers trying to come up with convincing characters/textures, sets and creating amazing visuals for the show.

As with any 3d animated venture, time is the major factor.

With funding from the Kickstarter community, I will be able to devote all my time during production, hire a larger studio for my motion capture equipment (allowing it's full potential to be realized) hire actors to bring stunning realism in a 3d world with their talents via performance capture, and have funding to pay for professional sound mixing and film score for the finished movie.

Characters

Below is the character line up.

Behind the Scenes

Thought I would share some cool stuff on how a project like this and many of the shots are rendered then composited together. It does take a lot of hard work planning and executing sequences. Enjoy

VFX Breakdown 1

Making characters believable in a 3d enviroment can be tricky. Layers are added on top of the original render to simulate real light, flares, snow etc.

VFX Breakdown 2

This sequence was a little trickier to give the illusion of snow coming through the large doors. Several different dust layers were added to give a sense of realism.

VFX Breakdown 3

Space scenes, some might think can be easy to create, aren't always that straight forward, especially when you have fast panning camera movement.

Character Texturing Breakdown

Trying to create realistic 3d characters can be quite daunting. I have spent a lot of time researching and developing the look for my characters in this project. To build believable skin requires many layers all added together to simulate sub surface scattering in real skin. Take a look.

Rewards

No good deed should go without reward. I hope that the rewards for pledges made will get the interest and vision of what could become an amazing Scifi series of films.

This film is as much about the kickstarter community as it is about myself. I want all of you that pledge to have a piece. How knows where it could end up.

A Live Feature one day?

The Rewards available are dependent on the pledge made.

A Full Sized Dead Salvage movie poster, signed by the cast and crew - mock up.

Standard Version, or Special 2 Disc Edition Bluray copies of the film - mock up.

T-Shirts with the Eden Colony Logo - mock up

Protector First Base baseball caps with Eden Colony Logo - as you would expect on an offworld colony, safety first - mock up

Real specs: The Protector First Base baseball caps are designed to provide the
wearer with bump protection in a wide range of low risk applications.
The patented flexible shell design is manufactured from durable ABS
plastic and is covered by breathable fabric that allows high levels of
ventilation to reduce heat stress and improves wearer comfort. The caps
are contamination-free and pose no risk to the production process,
particularly suited to applications in precision engineering and the
food industry. The caps are machine washable at 60C.

A personally signed copy of my finished script.

A life size replica Helmet of the A.T.P.A, built by Jesse Lagers from the SyFy channel show, Heroes Of Cosplay.

(The image is a 3d render only - but the design will be detailed in everyway)

A Limited Edition life size replica Suit of the A.T.P.A - All terrain pro-active armour, built by Jesse Lagers from the SyFy channel show, Heroes Of Cosplay. Limited Availability.

(The image is a 3d render only - but the design will be detailed in everyway)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £10 or more
About $16

A great big thank you for helping out this original animated feature. You will receive a full-sized poster, signed by the cast and crew, a digital download of the finished film, and a credit in the end titles. (Non UK Shipping fee £5.00)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £50 or more
About $81

I would consider you to be a first class Colonist! As well as a credit in the end titles, you will receive a full size poster signed by the cast and crew, a Special Edition 2 Disc BLU-RAY version of the film, filled with behinds the scenes goodies, directors commentary and much much more. (Non UK shipping fee £10.00)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £200 or more
About $323

Corporate Level Colonist. You will not only receive the signed poster, the Special Edition 2 Disc BLU-RAY, the colony t-shirt and matching baseball cap, you will also receive a personally signed copy of the finished script, and a credit in the end titles. (Free Shipping)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £350 or more
About $565

Welcome, Colony Administrator. You will receive a signed poster, the Special Edition 2 Disc BLU-RAY, the colony t-shirt and matching baseball cap, a personally signed copy of the finished script, a full sized Helmet replica of the A.T.P.A - ALL TERRAIN PRO-ACTIVE ARMOUR suit worn by the investigation team. Plus credits in the end titles. (Free Shipping)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £500 or more
About $807

You are part of the team sent to investigate Eden and find out what went wrong. But you need to be prepared. A signed poster, the Special Edition 2 Disc BLU-RAY, the colony t-shirt and matching baseball cap, a personally signed copy of the finished script, a limited edition figurine (6 inch tall) of the A.T.P.A - ALL TERRAIN PRO-ACTIVE ARMOUR suit worn by the Investigation team. Mounted for display and hand painted. A full sized Helmet replica of the A.T.P. A. Plus you will receive Co-Producer credit in the end titles. (Free Shipping)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £1,500 or more
About $2,420

Actually become part of this exciting feature film series. You will receive all the above rewards, but you will actually be invited for a Cameo appearance in Part 2 of the series. With you own digital likeness and performance capture recorded in my Motion Capture studio, not to mention spoken dialogue. (NON UK BASED BACKERS MUST BE WILLING TO MAKE THEIR OWN TRAVEL/ACCOMMODATION PLANS AND COVER THEIR EXPENSES) You will also receive an Executive Producer credit in the front and end titles. (Free Shipping)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge £2,500 or more
About $4,033

This is were it gets serious. As well as receiving all of the above rewards, including an invitation for a Cameo appearance in Part 2 (NON UK BASED BACKERS MUST BE WILLING TO MAKE THEIR OWN TRAVEL/ACCOMMODATION PLANS AND COVER THEIR EXPENSES), you will receive a Limited Edition "Full Sized" A.T.P.A - ALL TERRAIN PRO-ACTIVE ARMOUR suit replica, built by Jesse Lagers from the SYFY channel show, Heroes of Cosplay. And finally, you will receive a Producer credit in the front and end titles. (Free Shipping)